Toilet accessory



July 14, 1331. I w FR|EDMAN 1,814,748

TOILETACCESSORY Original Filed May 5. 1928 amnion William Friedman/ PatentedJuly 14, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM FRIEDMAN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO LUPE, INC., 013 NEW YORK,

N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK TOILET ACCESSORY Original application filed May 5, 1928, Serial No. 275,310. Divided and this application filed. August 2, 1929. Serial No. 383,055.

This invention relates to toilet accessories, and more partlcularly to such accessorles commonly termed vanity boxes and carried by women for holding a make-up material,

to use with loose powder as distinguished from a powder compact; to enable the powder to be securely retained against inadvertent spilling or loss; to provide for very easy lifting of the powder to the powder dispens- 15 ing surface to secure immediate closure of the container after passage of the powder to the dispensing surface; to obtain a satisfactory loose powder dispensing means which will feed an ample but limited supply of powder; to provide means to positively close the, crevices through which the powder is dispensed; to secure automatic closing of said closing means; to utilize the closing means to increase the quantity of powder which will be dispensed by one operation of the user; to provide a dispensing surface with crevices of considerable width to more readily permit escape of powder therethrough; to secure simplicity of construction'and operation; and to obtain other advantages and results as may be brought out in the following description.

Referring to the accompanying drawings in which like numerals of reference indicate similar parts throughout the several views;

Figure l is a perspective view of a toilet aecessory shown open, constructed in accordance with my invention; Figure 2 is a' central vertical section through said accessory, showing the outer cove-r open, and the inner cover or dispensing surface in normal closed position; and

Figure 3 is a similar sectional view-showing the dispensing surface depressed in the process of obtaining or lifting the powder.

In the specific embodiment of the inven tion illustrated in said drawings, thereference numeral 1 indicates'the body or box portion of a vanity or toilet accessory, this box or body portionbeing adapted to receive a make-up material in powder form. It has been common practice heretofore to provide a pair of covers for such a box, one covering the other when closed and the outer one having a reflecting surface. Room enough is leftbetween the covers for receiving andiz; carrying a powder puff and sometimes other articles. When such a construction is used, the outer cover isopened and the powder puff removed after which the innercover has to be opened so as to dip the pufi into the powder. There is accordingly danger of the powder spilling or blowing, excessive amounts of powder are used, the power is likely to become dirty or contaminated by repeated exposure, and the devices have 11?) proved so unsatisfactory that women have shown a marked preference for the powder compacts, that is, powder in cake form.

In. the present invention, I provide an outer cover 2 which serves to close the usual opening 3 of the box. This 'box or body is adapted to ,be not only closed by outside cover 2, but also by an inner cover 4-. which I prefer to call a dispensing retainer. The novel construction of this dispensing retainer 4 constitutes a major part of the present in vention. Both the cover and the retainer are preferably hinged, as at 5 and 6 respectively, to the body, so they may be opened independently of each other, and have suitable, snap fasteningmeans as usual for retaining them releasably closed. The dispensing retainer 4 is intended'to be opened to permit access to the interior of'the box for the purpose of inspecting or filling the same. The dispensing retainer 4 is so constructed that it is normally closed to prevent escape or spilling of the powder in the box. However, means areprovided to permit the escape of a limited amount of powder when a puff is rubbed over the same or when the retainer is gently tapped. The dispensing retainer is constructed to resume its normal or as shown herein, substantially flat condition, when the depressing pressure is removed.

,As clearly. shown, the dispensing retainer 4 is comprised of a pair-of plates, one of which,

as 7, is superimposed on the other, as 8. These plates may be formed in any suitable manner and of any suitable material. For

instance, I may make the device of cardboard, but for the usual type it is preferable to form the same of resilient metal stampings on account of cheapness, durability, lightness and strength of the latter. Irrespective of these views of manufacture the essential features of the invention are always preserved. In the present disclosure, the upper plate providing the dispensing surface is shown as substantially flat so as to provide a surface conveniently wiped by a powder puff, said plate being stamped or out between a continuous outer rim or marginal portion 9 and an integral center piece 10. WVhile various shapes of cuts may be employed, I prefer to utilize a plurality of spiral slots 11 symmetrically related so as to provide positive openings for escape of powder, and to provide spiral segments 12 between said slots to maintain a partial closure and wiping surface'of a substantially smooth nature under normal conditions.

Underlying the upper plate 7, I preferably provide a second or feeder plate 8, the construction of which may be varied to a considerable extent. Since I provide positive openings between the segments in the upper plate, the lower plate 8 is arranged to function as a closure for those openings, and also as a powder lifter and feeder, that is, lifts powder from the container and feeds it to the slots in the upper plate as required, some of the powder being retained between the plates ready to issue through said slots. As shown, the two plates are preferably arranged concentrically and held together by a single rivet 13 at the center. In normal position the plates will be flatwise together, and any powder between the same will be held by the pressure of the two plates and consequently will not escape until that pressure is released.

By virtue of the resiliency of the material of which the upper plate 7 is composed, the middle portion of said plate may be depressed, the spiral segments distorting at such time, and will return to normal position when the pressure is removed. Since the feeder plate 8 is attached only at the middle of the upper plate, depression of the middle of the upper plate will depress the entire under plate thereby making a decided peripheral gap between the plates. The lower plate may be considered as acting like a plunger, in that its depression causes air to be displaced from beneath the plate, the air passing around the edge of said plate and through the gap between the plates, escaping through the slots in the upper plate. This current of air will pick up powder and carry the same through the dispensing retainer onto the dispensing surface. Thus, in this improved form of the invention. the dispensing retainer is operative to dispense powder until the box is completely empty.

Obviously detail changes and modifications may be made in the construction and use of my improved toilet accessory, and I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the exact construction shown or described, except as set forth in the following claims when construed in the light of the prior art.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. A device for dispensing powdered substances comprising a resilient plate having a plurality of openings formed therein, and means normally closing said openings, said means adapted to be temporarily removed from said openings for permitting passage of powder through said openings, said means operable to open position upon depression of said resilient plate.

2. A device for dispensing powdered substances comprising a resilient plate having a plurality of slots formed therein, and means normally closing said slots, said means adapted to be temporarily removed from said slots for'permitting passage of powder through said slots, said means operable to open position upon depression of said resilient plate.

3. A device of the character described comprising a pair of plates secured together at one point and adapted to normally lie fiatwise together, said plates adapted to be separated for portionsthereof away from said point where secured, said plates having means for passing powder from one side to the other upon separation of said portions thereof.

4. A device of the character described comprising a pair of plates, a rivet securing said plates together at one point, said plates being adapted to normally lie fiatwise together and adapted to be separated for portions thereof away from said rivet, said plates having means for passing powder from one side to the other upon separation of said portions thereof. 7

5. A device of the character described comprising a pair of plates, a rivet securing said plates together, said rivet being positioned substantially at a middle point of one of the plates and holding said plates normally flat wise together, said plates adapted to be separated for portions thereof away from said rivet and adapted to pass powder from one side to the other upon separation of said portions thereof.

6. A device of the character described having a dispensing retainer comprising a pair of plates one of which is smaller than the other, a rivet through the middle part of the smaller plate securing said plates together, the larger of said plates having openings therein and said plates being temporarily separable whereby powder may be passed through said openings.

7. A device of the character described comprising a dispensing retainer having a plate with spiral openings therein thereby enabling said plate to be resiliently depressed in part,

and a second plate secured to the first plate for closing said spiral openings when said plates are together, said plates separating in part and uncovering said openings when said spiral plate is depressed.

8. In a toilet accessory, a dispensing plate having a central portion with emanating spiral segments therefrom supported at their outer ends, and a closure plate supported at its middle part from the said central portion of the said dispensing plate.

9. In a toilet accessory, a dispensing plate having a central portion with segments emanating therefrom whereby said central portion is resiliently supported, and a closure plate supported at its middle part from the said central portion of the said dispensing plate, one of said plates having means for retaining powder between the plates.

10. A device of the character described comprising a resilient plate having a plurality of crevices formed therein, a second imperforate plate secured to the first mentioned plate normally overlying said crevices to close the same, said plates being secured together at one point and adapted to be separated for portions thereof on depression of said resilient plate, said imperforate plate having a trough therein for holding powder between said plates.

WILLIAM FRIEDMAN. 

